U.S. Navy sailors practice with pistols on the flight deck of the USS Underwood during a patrol on Oct. 11 in international waters near Panama. U.S. Army troops, Air Force pilots and Navy ships outfitted with Coast Guard counternarcotics teams are being deployed to chase, track and capture drug smugglers. Dario Lopez-Mills, AP

Sailors stand on the flight deck of the USS Underwood during a patrol near Panama. In the most expensive initiative since the Cold War, the U.S. has militarized the battle against drug traffickers, spending more than $20 billion in Latin America in the past decade. Dario Lopez-Mills, AP

Sailors participate in an M4 rifle qualification class on Jan. 30 on the flight deck of the USS Underwood. Four thousand U.S. troops are deployed in Latin America and as many as four U.S. Navy ships are on patrol in the Caribbean and Pacific coastlines of Central America. Dario Lopez-Mills, AP

A sailor is taught how to fire a grenade launcher during a small-arms qualification class Oct. 18 aboard the USS Underwood. Dario Lopez-Mills, AP

A sailor fires a rifle during a small-arms qualification class. Dario Lopez-Mills, AP

A U.S. Navy helicopter takes off from the USS Underwood on Oct. 11 during a training excercise. Dario Lopez-Mills, AP

A U.S. Navy helicopter chases a boat from the USS Underwood during a drug interdiction training exercise. Dario Lopez-Mills, AP

U.S. Coast Guard and Navy officers use a radio to speak to the captain of a small sailing vessel as the USS Underwood prepares to approach it on Oct. 10 during a patrol in international waters near Panama. Dario Lopez-Mills, AP

U.S. Navy sailors watch a small sailing vessel. The USS Underwood displays 16 cocaine emblems and 2 marijuana leaves on its superstructure. They were awarded to the ship by Coast Guard command for successful drug interdiction operations. Dario Lopez-Mills, AP